Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. received a $300,872 Project Grant award dated March 9, 2026, from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859). This award supports a five-year research initiative (through February 28, 2031) investigating the role of CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) in nucleotide excision repair (NER), a critical DNA repair pathway that protects genome stability by removing bulky DNA lesions caused by ultraviolet radiation, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and chemotherapy agents. Defects in NER are associated with severe human genetic disorders including xeroderma pigmentosum, Cockayne syndrome, and trichothiodystrophy.

The research employs a multidisciplinary approach integrating genome editing, DNA damage and repair mapping, proteomics, three-dimensional (3D) genomics, and bioinformatics to elucidate how CTCF facilitates NER within complex three-dimensional genome organization. The project pursues three specific research aims: determining CTCF's involvement in NER subpathways and its protein interactions, delineating CTCF-mediated 3D genome reorganization in repair processes, and investigating CTCF-mediated chromatin accessibility modulation during NER. The research conducted at the University of Georgia's Athens campus will advance fundamental understanding of DNA repair mechanisms and has potential implications for developing therapeutic strategies targeting repair-deficient genetic disorders.